This invention relates to a generally disposable diaper and particularly to such a diaper provided with a barrier adapted to stand in the way of body fluid moving on a body fluid absorbent panel in a back-and-forth direction of the diaper.
The conventional disposable diaper includes a crotch covering region, a front waist covering region, a rear waist covering region, and a body fluid absorbent panel extending over the crotch covering region and into the front and rear waist covering regions. A barrier extending in the crotch covering region across a body fluid absorbent panel stands in the way of body fluid flowing on the body fluid absorbent panel in a back-and-forth direction of the diaper.
For example, a diaper disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 1996-322878 (Reference 1) is provided along transversely opposite side edges of the diaper with a pair of leak-barrier cuffs adapted to be elastically stretchable in the back-and-forth direction and, in the crotch covering region of the diaper, with a flap extending between these leak-barrier cuffs in the transverse direction of the diaper. The flap is formed from folding a nonwoven fabric or plastic film in a Z- or inverted Z-shape wherein a bottom of the flap corresponding to the bottom of Z-shape is bonded to a topsheet of the diaper and a top of the flap corresponding to the top of Z-shape is provided with an elastic member extending in the transverse direction of the diaper and bonded in a stretched state to the top of the flap. Longitudinally opposite ends of this top of the flap are bonded to inner surfaces of the respective leak-barrier cuffs. The leak-barrier cuffs elastically contract in the back-and-forth direction of the diaper as the diaper is put on the wearer and curves along the back-and-forth direction whereupon the leak-barrier cuffs rise up above the topsheet and simultaneously the flap having the transversely opposite ends bonded to the respective leak-barrier cuffs rises up above the topsheet. In such a state, the flap functions as a barrier adapted to prevent loose passage from flowing toward the front waist covering region and to prevent urine from flowing toward the rear waist covering region. The top of the flap provided with the elastic member bonded in a stretched state thereto is adapted to be elastically pressed against the diaper wearer's skin.
A disposable wearing article disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 1998-192338 (Reference 2) includes barrier means against a flow of bodily discharges. The barrier means extends above respective surfaces of front and rear waist covering regions or at least the surface of the rear waist covering region adapted to come in contact with the wearer's skin in a transverse direction of the article. This barrier means protuberates from the topsheet surface at least by 2 mm and comprises the topsheet and a pad member having an elastic compression recovery factor higher than those of the topsheet and a liquid-absorbent core.
Both the flap disclosed in Reference 1 and the barrier means disclosed in Reference 2 certainly intend to prevent bodily discharges such as urine and loose passage from freely flowing on the topsheet of the wearing article such as the diaper in the back-and-forth direction and from soiling the wearer's skin and/or leaking out from the article. However, in the case of the flap disclosed in Reference 1, the top of this flap provided with the elastic member extending in the transverse direction of the diaper easily come in close contact with protuberant spots of the wearer's skin but not with depressed spots of the wearer's skin. Consequently, it is likely that a gap might be left between the top and the skin and bodily discharges might flow beyond the flap through such gap. Therefore it is difficult for this flap to come in close contact not only with the protuberant spots of the skin but also with the depressed spots of the skin. The barrier means disclosed in Reference 2 is provided in the form of the elastic pad member extending in the transverse direction of the waist region and it is difficult for this barrier means to come in close contact not only with the protuberant spots of the skin but also with the depressed spots of the skin.